26 Low Calorie Dinner Ideas

Keeping track of the calories you consume can be daunting, especially during dinner time. By the end of the day, you may have already consumed more calories than you intended, which can be frustrating if you are trying to maintain a healthy weight or achieve your weight loss goals. Alternatively, you may be looking for ways to limit your calorie intake for each meal to help you stay on track with any fitness goals you may have.

Choosing low-calorie dinner recipes is an excellent way to keep yourself in check. The good news is that we have done the hard work for you by compiling a list of delicious, low-calorie dinners. These recipes are also high in protein, essential for keeping you full and satisfied after your meal.

Not to mention, they are also tasty and contain plenty of vitamins and nutrients. After all, there’s no point in sacrificing flavor and nutrition for the sake of calorie counting. Our list includes options such as Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake, which is perfect for those who enjoy a bit of heat, and Garden Vegetable Soup or Healthy Turkey Meatloaf, which are more comforting options. Take a peak yourself to see what you like!

1. Weight Watchers Shrimp Stir Fry

Our recipe for WW-friendly Shrimp Stir Fry provides you with plenty of protein as well as a hefty serving of vegetables. The main components are shrimp, frozen vegetables, olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic. To flavor the shrimp, we marinate them in orange juice, cornstarch, spices, and soy sauce before cooking them in a skillet. The frozen vegetables surprisingly cook up quickly, and the whole supper comes together in just 15 minutes!

2. Healthy Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

By the looks of it, you would never know that such a hearty sandwich would be able to be low in calories. Specifically, these Philly cheesesteaks have 440 calories per serving. They have many traditional components, such as sweet onions, bell peppers, and rib-eye steak. Believe it or not, you don’t have to remove much from the traditional sandwich to make it healthier. The trick to this recipe is hollowing out the rolls so there’s less bread.

3. Healthy Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

This citrusy soup is refreshing and will awaken your taste buds. Between the carrots, onions, cauliflower rice, and lemon juice, you won’t be able to get enough of it! It also has kale, which is plenty healthy for you, and shredded chicken for some protein. If you want to dress it up, top it with fresh lemon slices and parsley. We suggest dipping some crackers in it!

4. Healthy Skillet Lasagna (Low Cal, Low Carb, GF)

Skinny Fitalicious created this genius recipe for lasagna, which you can easily make in a skillet! Not only is it low in calories, but you don’t have to wait too long for it to cook like other lasagnas. This scrumptious recipe includes multiple kinds of cheeses (mozzarella, parmesan, and cottage cheese), marinara sauce, spinach, and ground turkey. It also has some veggies, which is just a bonus! Dig into diced onions, mushrooms, and garlic.

5. Baked Mustard Chicken Meatballs

Rather than making meatballs with marinara sauce over and over, try something different, like these mustard meatballs. With only 224 calories per serving, you can’t beat it! Some of the best components in this dish are ground chicken, rice, shredded carrots, onions, and garlic. Don’t just use plain mustard, but make a homemade sauce with chicken broth, sour cream, mustard, paprika, and more. These saucy meatballs taste wonderful with vegetables!

6. Philly Cheesesteak Bowls

Here is a recipe that is similar to the Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, except you can make the dish in a bowl! It’s also slightly different. It has ground beef, beef broth, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. The provolone cheese provides a cheesy, silky flavor, and the Worcestershire sauce gives it dimension in every bite. For best results and lower calories, use 90% lean ground beef. This will give you 326 calories!

7. Citrus Shrimp and Avocado Salad

If you don’t give salads a chance to shine at dinnertime, you are missing out. Salads don’t always just have to be lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing. You can include so much more in them! This recipe has yummy greens, pan-seared shrimp, avocado, shallots, and almonds. The nuts give a nice, toasty, crunchy texture, and the fresh citrus juice makes it oh-so zesty. We suggest grinding black pepper on it before serving.

8. Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Enjoy the traditional flavors of a home-cooked chicken pot pie except in the form of soup! So, what does a delicious soup like this entail? Well, it’s actually quite a simple mixture. All you need is potatoes, broth, chicken breast, herbs, celery, and carrots. Additionally, a small amount of almond milk and blended cauliflower make it nice and creamy!

9. Healthy Orange Chicken

Instead of opting for fast-food orange chicken, make this nutritious orange chicken instead. It’s much fresher and tastes better, too. This recipe requires chicken tenderloins, orange juice, broth, coconut aminos, and rolled oats. Additionally, garlic and ginger supply the orange sauce with extra flavor. Use broccoli to add substance to the meal! You can top it with some green onions to give it a nice presentation.

10. Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

Can you believe this incredible casserole is less than 300 calories per serving? That’s just one of the reasons why you need to try it, though. More importantly, it has layers of flavor with juicy chicken, high-fiber pasta, light ranch dressing, and shredded cheese. It’s beneficial if you have any leftover chicken that you need to use up, such as rotisserie chicken. Don’t forget to include the cream cheese, which makes it velvety!

11. High Protein Creamy Taco Soup

This healthy recipe will have your mouth watering while you make it! It has scrumptious ingredients like black beans, pinto beans, corn, ground beef, and tomatoes. It doesn’t stop there, though. It also has peppers, onions, broccoli, and more. You might wonder how taco soup can be creamy. It is due to the fat-free Greek yogurt and the fat-free cream cheese! We bet you will wonder where this recipe has been your whole life.

12. Healthy Turkey Meatloaf

Invite some guests over because it’s time to impress them with your cooking skills. Not only is this meatloaf low calorie, but it’s also low carb and gluten-free. It has wonderful hints of onions, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and more. It has a classic ketchup glaze that everyone loves. Except it uses sugar-free ketchup to keep it healthier! Serve this with some green beans, and you are good to go.

13. Low Calorie Carne Asada Steak Street Tacos

It would be a shame to cut tacos from your diet because you are unsure how to make them low-calorie. Luckily, Lose Weight By Eating did all the calculations for you. You can make these scrumptious Carne Asada Street Tacos, which have 348 calories per serving. The recipe explains how to make the flavorful marinade that has hints of garlic, lime, jalapenos, and cilantro. The base of the tacos has tortillas, onions, carne asada, and cotija cheese.

14. Salsa Chicken Bake

Everyday Wellness shared this healthy recipe, which is so simple that you won’t be able to believe it. All you need to do is trim and cut the chicken before you sprinkle seasonings and salsa over top of it. Lastly, you can put a layer of cheese before you bake it in the oven. This is a perfect way to ensure you have juicy chicken that’s also packed with flavor. Between the tomatoes, peppers, and onions (and the salsa and the cumin), you’ll be in heaven.

15. Pizza Zucchini Boats

Zucchini is low in calories, so it’s the perfect base for this meal. Enjoy the flavors of pizza without having to eat tons of bread! This recipe has pizza sauce, mozzarella, herbs, olive oil, and pepperoni. Assemble it as you would a pizza with the zucchini squash as the base. You end up with a variety of flavors and textures that will impress kids and adults alike!

16. Easy and Healthy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

This is an excellent recipe for days when you don’t want to think too hard about dinner. It doesn’t require cooking methods that are confusing or ingredients that are hard to come by. Some components of this dish include beef strips, broccoli, sesame seeds, ginger, and garlic. There are also seasonings, brown sugar, and soy sauce to flavor the vegetables and the meat!

17. Garden Vegetable Soup

This colorful soup will entice you with its vibrant appearance and keep you coming for its tasty flavors! The base of the soup has herbs and vegetable broth. Meanwhile, the other components are the stars of the show. It has onions, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, green beans, and corn. There are also small amounts of garlic and tomatoes! The recipe suggests using white miso towards the end of cooking.

18. Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Bake

Here’s a lovely casserole dinner that has ground turkey, sweet potatoes, and zucchini. Although it has a simple composition, it’s accompanied by shredded parmesan cheese, garlic, and rosemary, which accentuate the flavors of the meat and vegetables. Besides that, all you need is a small amount of oil, salt, and pepper, so this is super simple to make!

19. Easy Cottage Cheese Casserole

At just 194 calories per serving, this recipe is incredible! It is also versatile since you can serve it as an entree by itself and use it as a snack later in the week. For instance, you can dip crackers or vegetables in it. But when enjoying it as a supper, it provides you with plenty of protein because of the whole eggs. Also, it has cottage cheese and spinach, which are nutritious too.

20. The Best Low-Calorie Butter Chicken

We bet you never thought you would see the terms “low calorie” and “butter chicken” in the same sentence, but aren’t you so glad you have? This yummy recipe takes inspiration from classic butter chicken with a few modifications. To make it, you need chicken, fat-free yogurt, seasonings, garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Of course, the seasonings are crucial in creating the correct flavor!

21. The Best Low-Calorie Creamy Pasta

Weight Loss With Veera shared an appetizing pasta dish that has less than 400 calories! It’s easy to make, no matter how much cooking experience you have, which is great. The recipe requires pasta, onions, tomato paste, light cream cheese, and low-fat shredded cheese. When you make the sauce, make sure to save some of the pasta water, which gives it some thickness!

22. Skinny White Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas will likely be your new favorite dish to make! You can make the filling, roll, bake, and get them on the table within 45 minutes. Additionally, it makes eight enchiladas, so there are plenty of servings! Some of the best ingredients include Mexican-style cheese, chicken breast, salsa, green chilies, and cilantro. For best results, use whole-grain flour tortillas or corn tortillas.

23. Lemon Salmon Orzo Skillet

This salmon dinner has refreshing notes of lemon, dill, garlic, and parmesan. The main components are the orzo pasta, salmon fillets, and chopped asparagus. In this meal, you get a perfect balance of fish and veggies! It’s also super quick to cook on hectic evenings, making it beneficial in more than one way.

24. Deconstructed Stuffed Bell Pepper Bowls

Cotter Crunch created this recipe, which tastes divine, so we thought we would share it! You will love how it is low in calories and high in flavor. It has lean ground beef, garlic, onions, peppers, and seasonings. It is saucy due to the barbecue sauce and Worcestershire sauce! The bowls also have quinoa, spinach, and other fresh veggies and ingredients. Garnish them with fresh lemon slices!

25. Healthy Bean and Cheese Burritos

These heavenly burritos have flavors of low-calorie salsa, refried beans, onions, and low-fat cheddar cheese. The paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper provide the perfect amount of seasoning for a simple dish like this. For best results, use 10-inch tortillas so they are plenty big enough to hold the components! This meal is 365 calories per serving, which is excellent for dinner.

26. Low Carb Greek Chicken Casserole

Here is a Greek-style dinner to try out when you want something light and healthy. It has two main components, which are the casserole and the dressing. The casserole itself has chicken breast, artichoke, red peppers, kalamata olives, and zucchini. Mozzarella cheese acts as the topping! The dressing has hints of red wine vinegar, garlic, and oregano, perfectly pairing with the Greek-style ingredients.

And if you are looking for something to pair with these dinner ideas, be sure to check out my weight watchers dessert collections.